Joanne Miller named Madison County Probation Department director

WAMPSVILLE >> The Madison County Board of Supervisors made the last unanimous approval to officially promote Joanne Miller to director of the Probation Department at its meeting Tuesday.

Leadership of the department has changed hands several times since the suspension of former director Karen Birch. Miller took over last April following Jill Moore’s retirement as deputy director in Birch’s absence.

Since then, county officials created a committee to canvas for candidates. Among about 15 applicants, Miller came out on top, receiving unanimous recommendations from the hiring committee, the Criminal Justice and Government Operations committees, and Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors.

The selection process was slightly out-of-the-ordinary for how the county typically selects employees. This is the first time a separate committee has been formed to review candidates, County Administrator Mark Scimone said. Committee members included Scimone, District Attorney Bill Gabor, Sheriff Allen Riley, Vice Chairman Dan Degear, First Assistant County Attorney Tina Wayland-Smith, Personnel Officer Eileen Zehr, Mental Health Director Teisha Cook and Probation Supervisor Roger Latour.

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Also for the first time, the committee turned to the actual department and asked for feedback on candidates. Scimone said it was crucial for employees with a qualified understanding of the department to participate in the selection process. A strong majority of staff in the probation department favored Miller, he said.

Tuesday’s approval by the board set Miller’s salary at $71,747 as director. She made $54,448 as deputy director.

Miller has been an employee of the probation department since 2000 when she started as an officer doing both supervision and investigations. In 2008 she was promoted to a senior probation officer. Prior to her tenure in Madison County, Miller, who has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from SUNY Oswego, worked for an Early Head Start program in Onondaga County and in the administration of children’s services in Brooklyn. She’s originally from Bridgeport.

Miller will oversee a staff of 13 – two supervisors, eight officers and three clerical staff. The department supervises more than 300 individuals. The department is tasked with both supervising probationers and completing investigations. Officers monitor court-imposed probation conditions for adults and juveniles during their probation sentences.

The department is also responsible for completing investigations prior to sentencing in criminal court or dispositions in family court. In those cases, officers contact those involved, the subject, victims, families and treatment providers and compile a report with recommendations for appropriate sentencing to the judge, she said.

Intake for family court also falls under the purview of the probation department. Petitions for orders of protections are reviewed by the department prior to being considered by the court.

Moving forward, Miller says the department will continue to make improvements in its operations. She anticipates the integration of a centralized computer system to be complete by the summer, putting all of the department’s computer programs into one. She’ll also start tackling a project to review the department’s policies and procedures and to update them as necessary to ensure that current practice and policies match.

While the department has experienced some challenges with changes in leadership, Miller said her transition into department head was eased by the support of the board, county administrator, her department’s staff and other related departments.

“Despite what was going on externally, our staff has been very conscientious and continue to meet state mandates and continue to do the good work that we’re there to do,” Miller said.

“We’re moving forward,” Scimone said of Miller’s appointment to director. “We’re going in a great direction. Joanne has done a great job running the department in the interim and providing service to Madison County.”

Madison County still has litigation pending against it from Birch. A federal case filed against the county alleging that officials discriminated against her because of her sex, financially penalized her and wrongfully silenced her is still pending. An appeal of her termination to state Supreme Court was dismissed last month.

Birch’s attorney, Jon Lovett, said they plan to appeal the state Supreme Court’s decision to the Appellate Division.